Best overall tire suited for Overlanding/Expo?
- Thread starter Philagony04WJ
- Start date
REDrum
Aventurero de la Selva
Late to the party...FWIW...
I have 30K on a set of Duratracs. I rotate them every 5 to 8K. As for siping, yup, its still there in the lugs. But, IMO, Duartracs only provide light to moderate snow performance, and, in no way, is it a snow tire. That said, it is perhaps the best AT I've ever run in my 30 years of off-roading. Amazing lock up on gravel and most mud, but have not run then in central america yet.
[rant]
Yea-yea-yea I know its got a snowflake symbol on it. I fell for it, since I didn't want a 4th set of snows in my garage. Then, after the second-fall snow, I immediately went out and bought a set of FS Winterforce tires. No comparison to the Duratracs in any snow conditions. Now I can stop, turn, and not engaged ABS when I touch the brakes. Durtracs are really great AT tires, that will get you through "some" snow. But, if you live north of the 40th parallel, srsly, get dedicated snows. Ok, full discloser, I have been rally racing on snow for >7 years and my standard for snow performance is higher than the norm, but I get a little concerned when people post that they are great on snow, when they are not snow tires [/rant]
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oldestof11
Observer
So for my diesel 4x4, what would you recommend? I will be going through muddy areas and trails. Would a 265/75/R16 be enough? Or can I get away with 37/12.5/16.5 hummer tires? Looking for a cheaper size that is plentiful and can handle mud.
Posted via Velocity LG ALLY
Posted via Velocity LG ALLY
Redline
Likes to Drive and Ride
That is a HUGE difference in tire size. Pick your size then pick your tread.
A 255/85R16 is a nice size for an old W250.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
I have been looking at the Goodyear Duratracs but I keep coming back to the the BFG All Terrain T/A because of the tradeoffs in noise and mileage with the Goodyear (I hope to God that there is no "Goodyear Jim" to attack me for that statement!). What made me pause was that for 265/75/16 I could only buy load range "E" from BFG. My 4Runner is not stock but when unloaded it is not really on the heavy side. Maybe on a trip with the trailer I would get some decent weight in the truck and on the tow hitch.
What sorts of sizes have you been running on your trucks Scott?
EDIT: So do you run A/Ts or M/Ts like on the old Tacoma. Saw the new owner of the Expo-W Tacoma say he replaced the "... Expo-favored 255/85x16 BFG Mud Terrains"
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eric1115
Adventurer
That's a little like asking, "Should I get a ball peen hammer or a 3 lb mini sledge? Keep in mind, this will be used to hit things.
What kind of mud? How deep? There are "muddy areas and trails" where a 265/76/16 is plenty, and there are "muddy areas and trails" where 37's are nowhere near enough. Also, tread has a huge impact on performance. 265/75 low void AT's are not comparable to 265/75 high void, big lug MT's.
What do you have now? What do you need that they don't do? You have thrown out a tire size that is towards the small end of the size range that most people run offroad, and one that is towards the big end of the range and much bigger than most ExPo'ers run. I would guess that 2/3 of the trucks on here run something in between. Why not consider a 33" or 35"? What wheel size do you have (or want?) If you're after cheap tires, having to buy wheels kind of offsets those potential savings.
What kind of mud? How deep? There are "muddy areas and trails" where a 265/76/16 is plenty, and there are "muddy areas and trails" where 37's are nowhere near enough. Also, tread has a huge impact on performance. 265/75 low void AT's are not comparable to 265/75 high void, big lug MT's.
What do you have now? What do you need that they don't do? You have thrown out a tire size that is towards the small end of the size range that most people run offroad, and one that is towards the big end of the range and much bigger than most ExPo'ers run. I would guess that 2/3 of the trucks on here run something in between. Why not consider a 33" or 35"? What wheel size do you have (or want?) If you're after cheap tires, having to buy wheels kind of offsets those potential savings.
oldestof11
Observer
I have 33x12.5x16.5 Courser MT's tires now. They have about 30% or less tread. They are on really nice aluminum wheels. Hence my I am looking at the 37" Hummer tires. I can pick up 4 @ about 85% tread for $450 shipped to my door.
I have a set of steel 16" wheels that are butt ugly, dinged, rusty but finding a nice set of tires to match what I have now is going to cost me $600-$700 for AT's. I cannot find anything used around where I live that won't cost me $$$ to travel.
The lift is no problem. I am going with a 2" leveling lift. That is it.
Muddy as in, no smaller than 33". Clay/silt mixture sticky stuff. I will be doing some offroad trails around me and any sort of rain turns it into a mud bath.
I have a set of steel 16" wheels that are butt ugly, dinged, rusty but finding a nice set of tires to match what I have now is going to cost me $600-$700 for AT's. I cannot find anything used around where I live that won't cost me $$$ to travel.
The lift is no problem. I am going with a 2" leveling lift. That is it.
Muddy as in, no smaller than 33". Clay/silt mixture sticky stuff. I will be doing some offroad trails around me and any sort of rain turns it into a mud bath.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
I'm going to go out on a limb here.....If the clay/silty sticky stuff in Illinois is like the clay/silty sticky stuff of southern Indiana, you should really avoid the BFG AT and look for either the more aggressive ATs (Duratrac, STMaxx, etc) or jump right to a decent mud tire.....that clay makes less aggressive tires into racing slicks......
hobobrando
New member
Has anyone had any experience with retreads from a company such as treadwright? The tread patterns look close to other proven designs and the pricing is super low. I might have to try a set out, Im going to be needing tires in the near future.
oldestof11
Observer
Quite a few truck pullers are using them with excellent results, hobobrando.
Jim65wagon, it is and does turn tires to slicks.
Jim65wagon, it is and does turn tires to slicks.
Redline
Likes to Drive and Ride
Yes.
Do a search for this one because there are a few semi-active threads about TreadWright retreads on this forum.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
I bought four Goodyear LT265/75/16-C Duratracs to replace my Firestone Dueler AT695-LT tires. With coupons, taxes, fees and rebates the Goodyears cost me $840. The Duelers were a very good "All Season" tire rather than a true All Terrain tire. They were excellent on icy roads, good wear (55K miles) and adequate off road performance. I had initially looked at buying BFG All Terrains but they were only available in a load range E. Initial impressions of the Duratracs is that there is a little more noise, primarily at a lower pitch than what the worn Duelers emitted. I think that the good interior insulation of the 4Runner is cutting the "hum" level down a bit. If I have the windows open and drive by a wall or large flat reflective surface I can hear more noise from the tires than through the truck's body. I have not been through a full tank of gas yet to tell much about MPG. In a short while I'll be making a trek to northern Arizona with my trailer in tow. I'll report back on the offroad performance.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Followup on the Duratracs after 1400 miles. They were used in very deep soft sand, crawling up rocky trails, some slick rock, hard packed dirt roads and a lot of pavement getting there and back. On the whole trip I was pulling my trailer.
In the deep sand I initially had them aired down to 25 pounds and got a bit bogged down and engaged my locker before I dug myself in. After that I dropped the pressure to 19 pounds and had no more issues.
On the rocky surfaces I left them aired down and had no issues. On the hard packed dirt roads I never had any traction issues because of gravel or loose sand.
While on pavement the hum could be noticed but it never was intrusive.
In the deep sand I initially had them aired down to 25 pounds and got a bit bogged down and engaged my locker before I dug myself in. After that I dropped the pressure to 19 pounds and had no more issues.
On the rocky surfaces I left them aired down and had no issues. On the hard packed dirt roads I never had any traction issues because of gravel or loose sand.
While on pavement the hum could be noticed but it never was intrusive.
TheAlmightySam
Adventurer
You ain't gonna fit 37s on a W250 with just a leveling kit unless you're willing to trim. 315/75/16s is about the max, and I still get a tiny bit of rubbing on my flares with mine.
I rock Cooper STTs on mine, and while our mud over this way is a little different, it still can get slick and nasty and clog up tires. The STTs just tear through it, and don't plug up too bad at all. They're not Boggers, but they hold their own, IMO. I've been very, very pleased with them.
That said, a set of 34x9.5x16.5 Swampers would look sick as hell on an old W250 :drool: Maybe a little light on the load capacity, but they'd sure look good
